Community of Our Lady of Peace

07/30/2016

Opening the Doors for Steven Moy

July 30, 2016

Steven Thomas Moy would have celebrated his 65th birthday today. Instead, the doors of Our Lady of Peace Church will be opened for his funeral Mass, celebrated by Father Bartholomew Daly, on Wednesday, August 3, 2016, at ten in the morning. Steven died unexpectedly on June 23 after a brief illness.

Born in Manhattan, Steven was the eldest son of Moy Nam Hling and Eva Majetich. Steven's father, who later adopted the name George, was born in Canton, China, and immigrated to Chicago, Illinois. George Moy was in the laundry business, where he met Eva Mejetich, a young woman of Croatian descent. The couple eventually located in New York, where their three children were born.

The family experienced hard times in New York. When Steven's mother was hospitalized for a lengthy illness, the children were sent to the Catholic orphanage, St. Joseph's Home for Children, in Peekskill. After the family was reunited, Steven and his siblings, Sharon Lucille and Don Nicholas, attended Saint Catherine of Genoa School on 153rd Street in Manhattan. Steven and his brother served as altar boys at Our Lady of Esperanza Church.

"The church was always our first home," said Sharon Moy. "The Catholic schools were stability."

As children, both Steven and Sharon competed in yo-yo contests. Steven won second place in the boy's competition held at the World's Fair in 1965, and was a champion of the Duncan Yo-Yo New York City Spinning Contest. As an adult, Steven delighted in putting on shows for kids, and he performed at the parish talent show. His email moniker was "yoyomoy."

After graduating from George Washington High School in Washington Heights, Steven was self-employed, and developed electrical contracting and alarm system businesses. He worked on projects for many of the residents in the Treadwell Farm Historic District, according to Julianne Bertagna, president of the neighborhood association. Steven served on the committee that researched and selected an inclinator device so that handicapped and infirm individuals could access the sanctuary of Our Lady of Peace.

A life-long fascination with mechanics led Steven to develop an interest in cameras and how they work, which led to his avocation as a photographer.

"He liked capturing an image, telling a story," his sister said. "He took many photos of homeless people, and his images are a way of letting people see his compassion."

Steven Moy also took photographs of the interior and exterior of Our Lady of Peace, some of which he entered in the New York Landmarks Conservancy Sacred Sites Photo Contest, but mostly he photographed the people. His chronicle of the events preceding the church closure, the NYC Mass Mob and the Founders Day Procession and Mass, and those special services, such as the September Service of Prayer and Music for Childhood Cancer Awareness and December Follow Mary: A Festival of Lessons & Carols, that were held at the steps, are a testimony of the spiritual journey of his extended family - the parishioners of Our Lady of Peace.

"He was a kind and generous man," said Tami Ellen McLaughlin, special events coordinator. "He gave me his two tickets to see Pope Francis in Central Park last year. I got to know him as our parish events photographer, and I was so happy whenever he could attend."

"Steven always smiled and was gentle with kids," noted Jessica Bede, rosary captain. "His caveat for volunteering to help at the steps was contingent on how his wife, Ana, was feeling. He was her caregiver. His priorities were always intact."

Steven Moy and Ana Soto were married by Father Daly at Our Lady of Peace seven years ago. "Ana was the love of his life," his sister said.

Steven is survived by his wife, Ana Soto; his mother, Eva Moy, who resides in California; his sister, Sharon Moy, and his brother-in-law, David Borgen, who reside in Piedmont, California; his brother, Don, who resides in Santa Monica, California; his niece, Lena Moy-Borgen, and her husband, Zack Tinkelman, who reside in Queens; his nephew, Max Moy-Borgen; his niece, Allison Moy-Borgen; his grand-nephew, Nathan Tinkelman; and his sisters-in-law, Terry Gavin and Maria Celine Soto, who resides in Queens.

In lieu of flowers, charitable contributions may be made to the Friends of Our Lady of Peace, Inc. in memory of Steven Moy. Friends of Our Lady of Peace, Inc.1173‐A Second Avenue P.O. Box 263 New York, NY 10065

"Blessing the People" by Steven Moy. Photographed at Our Lady of Peace Founders Day Mass, April 26, 2015.